Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

New settlements have a tendency to be car dominated.

Not likely to be a sustainable option for Infill Villages. Not a lot of scope for growth in Group Villages without changing character significantly, and not likely to be sustainable there either.

It is reasonable to look at transport corridors, but there will be a need for close consideration of whether a corridor has or will achieve sufficient capacity. For instance, a railway line may not be able to increase the number of services, or passengers carried, or its stations may not be capable of having adequate facilities, to cope with planned development. There is also the risk that many South Cambridgeshire locations will be required to host large-scale car parks for the benefit of the City of Cambridge. Existing settlements may see few benefits from these, and indeed they may well give rise to more traffic through villages on the way to park and ride or travel hub sites.

Village categories and the hierarchy of settlements are concepts that are supported. They provide a considerable level of certainty on planning issues. They, or something very like them, should be retained in the new Local Plan.